Good-Byes
by Emm-N7
Summary: A series of shorts depicting the most emotionally impactful good-byes of Shepards life and how they shaped her world and made her the woman and soldier that saved the Galaxy.


**Author's Notes:** So this has been sitting in my docs for a while now (since June actually) and though I'm not done with the other chapters currently, I wanted to post this otherwise I'd probably just forget about it again. The idea came from a music quote out of a Taylor Swift song actually (shifty eyes), thought that's not usually my taste, it gave me a good idea.

As a quick run down, these will all be based off the one Shepard I ran through all three games with. Liz Shepard, Earth Born, War Hero, Infiltrator.

So here we go, I hope you enjoy :]

(p.s. I apologize in advance for any typos, grammar mishaps or any other blunders you may encounter. I have no Beta reader :|)

* * *

_Braced myself for the good-bye_

_Because it's all I've ever known_

_..._

Another gust of wind bites at her cheeks and she ducks her head, tucking her chin behind the rough scarf in an attempt to keep warm. It barely helps.

Pale blue eyes peek up at the angry grey sky from under raggedy brown hair, little shoulders shaking as the winters front bares down on the city.

"Hey! Let's go, quick!"

"Come on! Before someone sees!"

The girl perks up, peeking around the building at the other kids as they gather up their stolen goods and start hurrying down the alley.

Jumping to her feet, she heads after them, stumbling over her too big shoes and falling on her knees, the rough road cutting into her palms. She ignores it, looking up with wide eyes at the retreating backs of the others. "Wait!" Her weak cry is nearly lost in the wind.

One of the older boys stops, glancing back at her huddled form in the shadow of the building.

"Please, wait!" She tries again, struggling upright once more and brushing the gravel and dirty snow from her fingers.

"Come on, just forget her! We're going to get caught!"

Their footsteps echo back and forth off the buildings walls.

"Don't leave me!" She starts running, the toes of her shoes catching awkwardly on the pavement every now and then as she tries to keep up. But she's the youngest of them all, her legs too short to carry her the distance to stay with them...

Their silhouettes grow fainter and fainter until finally she can't see them anymore. But she doesn't stop.

Her feet pound against the hard roads and sidewalks, across empty streets and down alleyways, the only sound in the middle of the night being her heavy breaths until finally she can't go on any longer.

Scrawny legs shake underneath her as she looks around at the buildings, her cheeks flushed pink from the cold air.

This place is unfamiliar, trash scattered across the walkways, the building walls dirty with day to day grime and the occasional sloppy writing, untouched for months by the cleaning mechs.

Her fingers twist around themselves. "Guys? Are you there?" She whispers to no one.

Turning in a slow circle, she starts to feel a stinging in her eyes.

They left her.

They always leave her...

Quiet sobs break out in the crisp nights air as she crouches down, hugging her arms around her scraped up knees and begins rocking back and forth.

"Mom...Dad..."

She rubs her face into the dirty jacket sleeve, nose running and throat aching.

Why do they always leave?

Why-

"Oi."

Her head lifts slowly, the street blurred by thick tears, she blinks quickly, sniffling again as an older boy comes into view from the shadows.

His clothes are dirty like hers, his fingers and palms coated with grime and scabs from rooting through unwanted things on the streets. He crosses his arms over a worn out brown vest that has a big hole in the pocket and leans against the nearest light post.

Unconsciously, she shies away, because he's probably like the other ones, mean and rude.

"Are you unwanted too?"

This question confuses her.

But then she thinks of the other kids, how they ran away and left her. Her parents too. Maybe she was unwanted...

Hesitantly, she nods one jerky nod.

He grins and steps forward, walking the short distance to crouch in front of her.

"What's your name?"

She plays with the frayed edge of her scarf, hangs her head and mumbles, "The others called me Shepard...cuz they said I looked like a dog."

For some reason she doesn't understand, he laughs, a loud echoing laugh, clapping his hand over his dirty pant leg.

"Well that's not much of a name, but alright. Hmm." He picks at her jacket, flicking off a rock that had clung to the clothes the last time she'd fallen. "How bout I call you Liz? My sisters name was Liz. Liz Shepard. Yeah that'll work." He scratches his cheek thoughtfully, then looks down at her, "What do you think?"

She's never had a proper name before...

He grins down at her expectantly and finally she smiles back nodding excitedly.

"Good. Well..." The gangly boy straightens up, stretching his arms out behind him as he looks around the street and she feels a tightening in her chest.

He's going to leave her too!

She doesn't want this one to go. He's nice. He gave her a name...

Jumping to her feet she catches the side of his jacket in her hand, looking up at him wide-eyed, "Don't leave me like the rest. Please."

Dark eyes blink down in surprise at her shaking little fist clinging to him, then to her face.

He's going to push her down and leave her, she can feel it.

So when his hand rests on the top of her head and he grins widely, messing her hair with a laugh, she nearly cries again but this time it doesn't feel so bad.

"Hey, kid, don't worry. I ain't like the others. And I know more like us, they won't abandon you like the rest and that's a promise. They're your real family now."

Family.

A real family.

A flicker of hope springs into her chest.

"What's your name?" She finally asks as he begins guiding her down the dimly lit street.

He glances sideways at her, rubbing a hand through his spiky black hair.

"It's Finch."

A gap toothed smile appears on her grubby face and she looks up to the clouds, blue sky peeking through as the sun begins to shine at the horizon.

* * *

**Ending notes:**So if you are a person who didn't play an Earth Born Shepard. This is my head cannon idea for my own Shepard where she first meets Finch, a character you see in ME1 in the side mission on the Citadel. An asshole guy that actually was in the Tenth Street Reds with Shepard before she joined the Alliance Military.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review with any critiques if you'd like! It'd be much appreciated.

(p.s. I apologize in advance for any typos, grammar mishaps or any other blunders you may encounter. I have no Beta reader :|)


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